Jo Peden teaches Iyengar yoga from a boutique studio in Southgate, Wellington, and offers group classes, private one-on-one sessions, workshops, retreats and longer classes with a particular focus. Zoom classes are also offered alongside the in-person ones. Iyengar is a style that uses props and a careful, slow approach to alignment, and the teacher's own cues are built around finding alignment in each pose while building awareness. The teacher began practising in 1996 and started teaching in 2001, and the website says the teacher is particularly interested in using yoga for mental and emotional wellbeing as well as physical health.
Students praise the relaxed, fun pace of the classes and the way the teacher balances familiar poses with new ones without pushing too hard. One student who joined in their fifties says they now feel stronger and more resilient, and that the Island Bay classes have become a regular part of their week. The classes are described as friendly and welcoming, and as suited to beginners and more advanced students alike. For someone in Wellington who wants a regular Iyengar practice with a teacher who has years of experience, this is a studio to look at first.